Over the weekend, human rights activist and Olympic torchbearer Leslie Kretzu ran barefoot through the streets ofPhiladelphia as an act of solidarity with Nike’s overseas factory workers. Bringing new meaning to this year’sOlympic theme of "celebrating humanity," Leslie used her 0.2 miles of track to draw attention to the unrecognizedmillions who produce the uniforms and equipment that allow athletes to compete in the...

In apartheid South Africa of the 60s, Dennis Brutus was an outspoken activist against the racist state. He helpedsecure South Africa’s suspension from the Olympics, eventually forcing the country to be expelled from the games in1970. He was arrested in 1963 and sentenced to 18 months of hard labor on Robben Island off Capetown, with NelsonMandela. Brutus was banned from teaching, writing, and publishing in South Africa. His first...

When a U.S. Olympic athlete agreed to have her personal diary of the Sydney 2000 games published in a local newspaper in Kansas City, the IOC stepped in and said no. They also said no to athletes involved in online chats and no again to internet live streaming of footage filmed of any Olympic event. The reason? The IOC effectively owns the intellectual property rights in sporting events and also of those seeking to cover sporting events. And...

As thousands flocked to the Sydney athletic stadium to see Aboriginal sprinter Cathy Freeman in her first race of the 2000 Olympics, aboriginal people from around Australia looked to Cathy as a symbol of a more democratic future. Cathy Freeman recently told a British newspaper that her own grandmother was one of the many aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children who was removed from her (biological) parents simply because she was...

One week into the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Americans are tuning-in in surprisingly low numbers. Many criticize that there is too much soft coverage of the host city–Australian blondes playing volleyball on pristine beaches and restored harbors, and not enough coverage of the Games themselves.

Just a few hours ago, Australian Olympic sprinter Cathy Freeman, lit the cauldron that signifies the beginning the 2000 Olympic summer games in Sydney. Cathy Freeman is an Aboriginal athlete who became a household name after she wrapped herself in the Aboriginal flag rather than the Australian flag when she did her lap of honor at the 1994 Canadian Commonwealth games. A few months ago Freeman told a British newspaper that the Australian...

As the 2000 Summer Olympics opened in Sydney a few hours ago, the world watched a spectacular show of lights, music and dance telling the story of Australia’s history. Or one version of it anyway. Sydney put on its best multicultural face by using traditional Aboriginal myth and music as well as brightly costumed migrant communities to color the opening ceremony. And while the corporate sponsored gala was taking place, indigenous people,...

Tomorrow the world’s attention will turn to Sydney, Australia, where the Olympic Ceremonies will begin. It won’t be soon enough for the International Olympic Committee. The institution that for years has promoted itself as the 'United Nations of Sports' is embroiled in an increasing number of controversial incidents as the games near. [includes rush transcript]

In September the Summer Olympics will be taking place in Sydney, Australia. Aborigines have already begun their protest campaigns aimed to bring international attention to the situation they face with Black Deaths in Custody, the Stolen Generation and their struggle for land rights.